


Not This Again!

by AllisonDiamond (orphan_account)



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-08
Updated: 2016-12-08
Packaged: 2018-09-07 06:32:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8787313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/AllisonDiamond
Summary: Barry finds out that Julian used to perform and won't drop it until he performs. Julian refuses to. Feelings are shared.Part of the Firsts series. Can be read as a standalone.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own The Flash or any of its characters.

_No, no, no!_

Barry holds out the mic to Julian. He does that ridiculous thing with his eyes, as if he thinks that would make Julian perform. No, just no. He isn’t going to perform an enactment of that _abominable_ of a play — the thought of it alone makes him shiver in embarrassment.

“It can’t be that bad, Jul,” Barry tells him sweetly and pats him on the lap. “I’m dying to see how my uptight boyfriend who refuses to be my friend gets himself involved in the _magic_ of community theater.”

Julian rolls his eyes. One of these days, he is going to lose movement in his eyes and it’d be all Barry’s fault. Barry would love that.

For god’s sake, they aren’t boyfriends _yet_. If Barry thinks a second date guarantees him Julian’s boyfriend, he needs to wake up. They are just two _guys_ discovering each other — one _too_ nice, one _too_ realistic. 

And for god’s sake, he and Barry _do not_ have to be friends, not until Julian is ready to call the fastest, slowest man his friend. The boyfriend’s part may come _sooner_ than that; call him out-of-tune, but he doesn’t just give friendship cards _away_ like that.

They have to be earned and Barry isn’t going to get special treatment because they are seeing each other. He better get used to that and fast, too.

“You can’t leave me hanging like that!” Barry squeezes his legs a little too tightly. Julian withholds a groan because Barry’s _gentl_ e squeeze is anything but gentle. “I _promise_ I’d be a good boyfriend and cheer you on.”

Barry just loves to jump into relationships, it seems. Julian wants to tell him stop throwing the ‘boyfriend’ line that quickly _even_ if it’s to continue his bad line of flirting. And god, does he have a long history of pickup lines!

“No,” Julian replies firmly and sternly, “Barry, I’ve better things to do than to make a soddin’ fool out of myself.”

“Please.” Barry pouts and it makes his lips appear so divine right now. _Get your mind out of the gutter_ , he has to remind himself. “I make a ‘soddin’ fool out of myself’ everyday and it isn’t too bad. It’s really not that bad like some people are making it out to be. It’s actually fun.”

As if Julian doesn’t detect the fake cheerfulness in Barry’s words. Or the way his brows raise every so often. Or how he wets his lips until they are glistering like a sweet, ripe plum ready to be devoured in its deliciousness. Or how — Julian shakes his head; maybe Barry is just throwing out the ‘boyfriend’ just to get Julian to do something, but Julian is thinking full-blown out sex thoughts, so maybe he’s the one eager to get a boyfriend.

No, Barry is just too bloody _gorgeous_ for his own good.

He composes himself quickly, not that Barry notices, of course. That self-righteous beautiful man wouldn’t notice anything even if it hits him right in the face.

“Drop it, Barry,” he finally says in a tired voice. “I’m not performing for you. And I’m not hearing anymore of this.”

“Wow, for someone so _posh_ , you sure are evil.” Barry laughs. “But if you think I’m gonna shut up about this, you are wrong, _very wrong_ , because, you, Julian Albert, have introduced me to something dark, which I can’t come back from.”

“Oh, for god’s sake, Barry.” Julian pinches the bridge between his nose. “I don’t want to hear any more about this subject. Can we just focus on you being a meta?”

“Oh, I can’t believe it.” Barry places his palm flat down on his heart. “You’re dating me because I’m The Flash,” he says in mock annoyance. “I am very disappointed in you, Jul.”

Oh, he looks so lovely, like that, fake scandalized look plaster on his face and all. It brings out that thrilling winter-smoke in his eyes and that bewitching twinge in his body. Just lovely, straight out of a Barry Allen’s book, if there is ever one.

Julian has to mentally slap himself on the head to stop his little friend from acting up. Quite harshly, too. 

“Yes, I must be, because the man behind the suit is a twat.” 

Barry’s brows raise in concern. “Okay, joke aside, were you really that bad? I could picture that. You sucking at acting.” A smile creeps slowly into his face. “Oh, that’s very — sorry. Promise I won’t laugh. You can not _not_ cover for me anymore.”

“Barry,” he lets out, sighing, “that works in your favor.”

“Okay, fine,” Barry says, pretending to be deeply affected by his statement. “You win. I’d do anything you say. Just perform for me.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Anything?”

“Yes.” Barry throws him a scandalized look. “Wait, not that … _Jul_ , get your mind out of the gutters.”

“What are you talking about, Allen?”

Barry sighs. “Back to the Allen, are we?”

“Well, you’re forcibly making me doing something I don’t want to do.” He stops and can’t stop the slight edge to his voice. “And I don’t want to go down that road again … not after what happened with _Alchemy_.” He struggles to not break down at the end.

“Oh, Jul, I was just joking.” Barry pulls him down beside him. “I’m sorry. You performing can wait for another time.”

He relaxes against the warmness of Barry. They fit so perfectly against each other, like two very different puzzle pieces, who when put together, form a very lovely image.

So, he still isn't over the Alchemy’s incident? Figures.

He sighs before taking a deep breath. “I _wasn’t_ bad.”

Barry looks at him. “Huh?”

“At acting. I was exceptionally good. But my _last_ year of college,” he pauses for a moment because this is all so humiliating, “my last performance, I — my parents were there and I couldn’t keep that look my father gave me … I’ve never seen him that disappointed before, not even when I told him I was going to be a CSI. It was, to say the least, nerve-scattering for me.”

“Oh, I’m _so_ sorry.” Barry gives him a look; one filled with pity and kindness. “Your dad is a horrible piece of human being to _be_ so disappointed in his son ‘coz he breaks away from the old traditions.”

Julian holds back a moan when he feels Barry’s fingers combing through his hair very gently.

“I forgot everything in that _moment._ Every lines I rephrased. Every inprov I practiced. Every scene I memorized. Every word — how to say them and improve upon them. Everything.” He swallows down the embarrassing memories, no, the painful memories. “I stood there onstage, like a fool, dragging the entire cast with me. I — the theater was closed down after that.”

Barry lifts Julian’s head and forces him to look up. “Look at me, this isn’t your fault. I get it why you didn't want to share this with me, but I’m glad that you did.” He stares right into Julian’s matching gray eyes to his very own. “It shows that you trust me, and, uh, if you’re ever up to it, I’d love to see you performing. Honest promise.”

Julian smiles; nothing too fancy, just a twitching of lips here and there. “I _do_ trust you. If I didn’t, I wouldn't have been here, like this, with you.” 

He holds Barry’s gaze for a few more seconds to assure him that how vulnerable it is for him to be like this and how easy it is for him to lose himself when he’s around Barry. 

“But I’m never going to perform _again._ Not before I hear you sing?”

“Oh,” Barry says, smiling brightly, “that can be arranged. We can be the artistic duo.”

“Barry, that _is_ not—”

“Hey, you’re the one who suggested it!”

“Because you weren't supposed to agree to it.”

“Why shouldn't I?”

Julian rolls his eyes. _Because you’d make me make a fool out of myself._ Julian smiles and allows Barry to kiss him lightly on the lips. It isn’t the heated, messy kiss he wants, but a kiss from Barry is a kiss meant to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
